WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to take up a punishing Russian sanctions package next week, though prospects of passage are uncertain despite the overwhelming support the bill received in the Senate.
The House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting on the bill Monday, with a procedural vote likely later in the week that could determine the bill's fate. Several top Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that the measure dramatically expands President Donald Trump's tariff authority, and he would use that new power to go after U.S. allies.
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The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who had worked with colleagues for more than a year to get it enacted. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 about a month after his death.
The bill is designed to add pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to Russia's war with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the House to pass the bill in a social media post on X. He said sanctions need to be imposed now and must be strong.
“And this is a very important historical moment for the United States. The bill must be passed, voted on, and supported,” Zelenskyy said. “Beyond that, strong decisions from the U.S. Administration are important. Personal decisions by President Trump. I very much hope we will see that.”
Three lawmakers who serve as the ranking Democrats on key congressional committees issued a joint statement that said House Democrats are rock solid in their support of Ukraine, but the bill would do more harm than good. They called for negotiations to craft a bill that can win strong support in both chambers.
“In the meantime, the President has ample authority to expand sanctions on those fueling Russia’s war machine, including those targeted by this bill, and we renew our call on him to do so without further delay,” read the statement from Reps. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Richard Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Don Beyer, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee.
Next week's vote is likely the last chance the House will have to take up the measure before the midterms because House lawmakers are expected to spend the rest of September and October back in their home districts campaigning for reelection.
The bipartisan package allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India. It provides exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and are taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.
The legislation also includes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and Russian energy projects. It would expand U.S. sanctions to target older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues. The bill also allows the White House to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that it’s in the national interest.
The bill also includes an extension of certain sanctions on Iran after Trump asked the Senate to add Iran to the bill. The administration has sought to combine economic pressure with the prospect of escalating force to resolve the war with Iran.
